The present invention relates to a front structure of a motor vehicle having a brake cylinder extending substantially in a direction of travel of the vehicle.
A front structure of this type, known, for example, from German documents DE 195 15 852 C2, DE 28 41 988 C2 and DE 30 18 732 C2, comprises a brake device which has a brake cylinder which extends substantially in the direction of travel of the vehicle.
It is customary to equip a motor vehicle with a wiping water container which stores water which is provided for washing a windshield and, optionally, a rear window and headlight panes. In some vehicles, in particular passenger cars, this wiping water container can likewise be arranged in the front structure of the vehicle ahead of the brake cylinder with regard to the direction of travel.
In the event of a crash, in particular in a frontal crash, a relative displacement between the wiping water container and the brake device can occur, which can lead to a collision of the wiping water container with the brake cylinder. In particular if the wiping water container is filled, a collision of this type can drive the brake cylinder counter to the direction of travel, which can lead to an intrusion of a brake pedal via the coupling of the brake cylinder to the brake pedal. That is to say, the brake pedal can move toward the driver as a result of an unfavorable crash, which can lead to considerable injuries. Furthermore, the brake cylinder can collide with the wiping water container, as a result of which the functioning of a brake system of the vehicle is impaired.
The present invention is concerned with providing an improved front structure of the type mentioned which reduces the disadvantageous effects of a collision between the brake cylinder and the wiping water container.
According to the invention, this problem is solved by way of a structure having a wiping water container arranged ahead of a brake cylinder with regard to the direction of travel, in which the wiping water container has a wall section on a rear wall which faces the brake cylinder, and in which the wall section is configured in such a way that, in the event of a crash, the rear wall can be penetrated at this wall section by an end of the brake cylinder which faces the wiping water container. Advantageous embodiments are the subject matter of dependent claims.
The wiping water container of the invention is configured in such a way that, in the event of a crash, it is possible for the brake cylinder to enter the wiping water container. A collision between the wiping water container and the brake cylinder which may occur in the event of a crash thus does not lead primarily to the brake cylinder being displaced, but to the brake cylinder entering the wiping water container. As a result, the wiping water container can move relative to the brake cylinder, without causing a displacement movement of the brake cylinder, which reduces the risk of brake pedal intrusion. The safety for the driver in the event of a crash is thus increased.
Entry of the brake cylinder into the wiping water container in the event of a crash is made possible by the fact that the wiping water container has a wall section on a rear wall which faces the brake cylinder, which wall section is configured for penetration by the brake cylinder. The wiping water container thus has in this wall section a special adaptation which makes it possible or easier for the brake cylinder to enter the wiping water container. Here, the adaptation is carried out in such a way that the rear wall can be penetrated by the brake cylinder in the wall section without the brake cylinder being displaced relative to the vehicle in the process. The wiping water container is thus designed in this wall section in such a way that a penetration force which has to be applied by the brake cylinder to the wall section, in order to penetrate the rear wall, is smaller than a retaining force with which the brake cylinder or the brake device is fastened to the vehicle. In this way, the wall section yields in the event of a crash before the brake cylinder is displaced relative to the vehicle.
A further particular advantage, according to the invention, of the front structure or the wiping water container is that the invention can be retrofitted, that is to say the wiping water container according to the invention can be inserted into a conventional front structure instead of a conventional wiping water container, in order to realize the front structure according to the invention.
In one preferred embodiment, the wall section can have a reduced wall thickness compared with the remaining rear wall, as a result of which, in the event of a collision, the brake cylinder can penetrate the wall section particularly simply.
In another embodiment, an edge region which encloses the wall section at least partially can be configured as a predetermined break point, as a result of which the wall section is detached from the rear wall along the edge region by the collision with the brake cylinder, as a result of which an opening is produced in the rear wall, through which opening the brake cylinder can enter the wiping water container.
Here, it is entirely possible to shape the wall section with the reduced wall thickness and/or with the edge region which is configured as a predetermined break point integrally on the rear wall or on the wiping water container, as a result of which the manufacture of the wiping water container is inexpensive.
Further important features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the dependent claims, from the drawings, and from the associated description of the drawings.
Features which are mentioned above and which are still to be explained in the following text can be used not only in the respectively specified combinations, but also in other combinations or alone, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and will be described in greater detail in the following description. Identical designations relate to identical, similar or functionally identical components.